


Haunted

by knives_sorrow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dom Draco, Dom/sub, F/M, Harry Potter Has a Sibling, Harry Potter Sister, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Starts post GOF, Torture, Underage Drinking, tattooed character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2018-12-16 17:50:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11833896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knives_sorrow/pseuds/knives_sorrow
Summary: Harry Potter has a twin sister, Maisie. After the dreadful conclusion to the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dumbledore decides to move her into the castle for her protection. There's only one problem: Maisie is a Squib. What happens when she notices a certain blonde-haired Slytherin who just so happens to be her brother's enemy?





	1. Chapter 1

"So tell me again why I can't communicate with my brother?" Maisie asked, annoyed.

The corner of Dumbledore's mouth twitched upwards and an amused twinkle shone in his eyes.

"You'll see him very soon, Maisie. It's just for his own protection. He's just dealt with a minor mishap at the Ministry of Magic due to a run-in with some dementors."

The pair sat in Dumbledore's office and the castle was otherwise mostly empty. It was the middle of summer, it was almost two in the morning, and Maisie was exhausted. She also had no idea what the hell "dementors" were.

"Right," she deadpanned. The tattooed girl sighed and rubbed her eyes. "And when will that be?"

"As I understand it, you're to stay with Sirius until the summer comes to a close. You'll see hi--"

Just then, a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in!" Dumbledore called. "Ah, right on time, Sirius! We were just talking about you," said Dumbledore, looking over Maisie's shoulder. She immediately jumped up and turned around, a wide grin breaking out on her face.

"Sirius!" she exclaimed, launching herself at him in a firm hug.

Sirius chuckled and hugged her tightly, kissing the side of her head.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite goddaughter." The two broke apart as Dumbledore smiled fondly at them.

"Sirius, as we discussed, Miss Potter will be staying permanently at Hogwarts after this summer, at least until further notice. With the Dark Lord on the loose, we simply cannot risk putting her in harm's way," Dumbledore explained.

"Yes, of course. I'll make sure she's moved in by the end of the summer."

The three of them talked over the plans for the next half hour until finally, Dumbledore suggested they get some sleep.

\---------------

It was ten AM the next morning, and Sirius choked on his coffee in a fit of laughter as Maisie told him the story (well, more like the disaster) of her most recent foster family.

"So the kid picked up the goldfish and dropped it right in his mom's coffee cup, and she didn't notice it! So we were all sitting at the table having breakfast and then she screamed out of nowhere and threw the mug clear across the room!" she laughed, face red and eyes watering. "It was one of the best things I've seen in my entire life."

"You always have quite the experiences in these foster families," Sirius pointed out, chuckling. He took a sip of his coffee. "What's it like living in America, anyway? I remember when I first heard Dumbledore shipped you all the way to the States I was shocked."

"I mean, I don't know. It's definitely a lot sunnier than this place. And it rains a lot less. And the beaches are a lot nicer. I still can't believe my whole family is British, accents and all."

"You're the one with an accent here," he said cheekily.

"I am not! You sound so proper all the time! 'Sir Reginald, would you like a spot of tea?'" she mimed in a horribly fake British accent. Sirius laughed out loud, amused.

"I suppose you have a point. But at least I don't sound like a redneck." It was Maisie's turn to choke on her coffee as she laughed, nearly spitting it everywhere.

"I hate you," she giggled, picking up a piece of bacon from her plate and throwing it at him.

Sirius dodged it and smirked, his eyes trailing over her newest tattoo-- a realistic black dog on her right forearm, just below the crook of her elbow. His Animagus.

Before he could say anything to her, she piped up with an excited "So, when's Harry going to get here?"

"He'll be here tonight. The rest of the Order are on their way now, as well as the Weasley kids and Hermione," he replied.

"Wow. I haven't seen any of them since I was probably twelve."

"Well, they're in for a surprise," he winked. Maisie snorted, rolling her eyes.

"I'll be upstairs. I need a nap since I've been awake for, oh," she looked at her watch, "36 hours. Goodnight."

She picked up her suitcase and duffel bag, hauling them up the creaking stairs and praying one of the house elves wouldn't appear out of nowhere and scare the wits out of her. She made her way into one of the bedrooms and put her bags down before putting on her headphones and flopping down on the bed. She pressed the play button and sighed in content as music travelled through the speakers, carrying her off into a dreamless sleep.

\---------------

Maisie was jolted out of her deep sleep by the sound of laughter and loud voices. It was nearly dark outside the window-- what time was it?! Her music playlist had stopped playing, she noticed. Picking up her phone, she checked the time-- 7 PM. Shit. How the hell had she slept for nine hours?

Maisie sat up, walking to the doorway and flicking on the lightswitch. She needed to look presentable when she want to see everyone. Quickly, she changed out of her sweatpants and band tee, switching them out for some simple black leggings and an oversized black tee. She ran her fingers through her dark hair, detangling it as much as she could before opening the door and walking down the stairs.

Immediately she heard familiar voices, and a grin broke out onto her face when she heard Harry's. Maisie nearly sprinted down the stairs, almost tripping on the last few steps before launching herself at Harry's unsuspecting back.

"Harry!" she yelled excitedly as he jumped in fear.

"Wha-- Maisie?" He turned and hugged her tightly, closing his eyes as he squeezed his slightly younger sister.

"I told Sirius not to tell you I was here," she laughed. The rest of the Order looked on with amusement at the siblings being reunited.

"Yeah, he-- he didn't," Harry replied, biting back an excited laugh. For the rest of the night, the group of friends and family talked and laughed and caught up, bonding after a whole summer of not seeing each other.

\---------------

Maisie sighed as she lay in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. No matter what she did, she couldn't sleep. It was two AM and they were due to go off to Hogwarts that next morning.

'Maybe I'm just overly excited,' she thought. It would be her first time setting foot in the castle, or really anywhere in the wizarding world.

Deciding to distract herself, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small lighter and her mostly untouched box of cigarettes, and walked out of her bedroom. She quietly crept downstairs and to the front door, slipping out onto the porch. She sat down on the steps leading up to 12 Grimmauld Place, pulling out a cigarette and setting it between her lips.

The girl cupped her hand around the lighter and brought it to her lips, lighting it quickly before setting the box and lighter on the stairs next to her. She wasn't normally one to smoke, but a lot had gone on these past few days.

Maisie took a drag and held it, letting the smoke burn her lungs before blowing it out into the night sky, watching it swirl and disappear. The only sources of light were the moon and the smoldering end of the cigarette. She held it between two fingers and sighed, propping her head on her hand and resting her elbow on her knee.

Suddenly, someone sat down next to her. Maisie jumped, looking over at the dark figure.

"I thought you were done with those things," Harry said, staring at the burning cylinder between his sister's fingers.

"Jesus Christ, Harry, you scared the shit out of me!" she whisper-yelled, punching him in the upper arm.

"Sorry, sorry. I heard someone on the stairs and just got a bit nervous. Had to check."

Maisie nodded, taking another drag from the cigarette and holding it for a second, then blowing the smoke out again.

"I just couldn't sleep. I've been thinking too much." She put the cigarette between her lips and held it there. "What's Hogwarts like?" she inquired, turning to look straight at Harry. His hair was disheveled, his glasses slightly crooked from jamming them on his face in the dark.

"Honestly, Maisie, it's brilliant. Amazing. You're going to love it," he said excitedly. She smiled around the cigarette, blowing out some more smoke behind her before throwing the dying stick into the neighbor's bushes. Harry scoffed at her and she smirked.

She leaned over to rest her head on her brother's shoulder, looking down the empty, dark road in front of the house. Harry put an arm around her and she sighed shakily.

"I missed you so much," she said softly. "Ever since I heard what happened last year-- with that tournament and everything-- I've been worried sick about you."

Harry sighed. "I'm alright, Maisie. You don't need to worry about me. I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Yeah, I guess. But still. I'd keep having nightmares about that stupid fucking Voldemort guy and wake up screaming. My foster parents thought I had schizophrenia."

"I worry about you every day, Maisie. If something were to happen to you..." he was silent for a moment. "The most important thing is that Hogwarts is probably the safest place for us to be with him on the loose. Dumbledore thinks he's trying to use you to get to me, so he had to act fast."

"I'm just... I'm worried," she sighed.

"Why?"

Maisie sat up and looked at him. "I can't do magic like you all can, Harry. I-- I'm a Squib, I--"

"Maisie. That doesn't matter," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "That doesn't make you any less than any of us."

She frowned. "I guess. I just hope nothing's going to happen."

"Hey. Look at me," he said softly, tilting her chin up to look at him. Brown eyes met green and Harry smiled. "The only bad thing that could possibly happen is you getting some disease from those cigarettes."

Maisie rolled her eyes and smiled. "Alright, alright. I'll stop. Promise."

"Good. Give me the box."

"What? N-"

"Maisie," he said threateningly.

"Ugh! Fine. But I'm keeping the lighter. I'll need fire to survive if the zombie apocalypse happens."

"Fair enough," he laughed.

Maisie reluctantly handed him the box of cigarettes and followed Harry inside the house. She thumped him hard on the back of the head when he threw the entire box of cigarettes into the enchanted fire, laughing at his surprised "ow!" and darting up the stairs before he decided to chase her.


	2. Hogwarts

"It's amazing," Maisie breathed, her mind unable to fully comprehend what her eyes were seeing. The castle was  _huge._ And even that was an understatement.

"Not quite yet, I'm afraid. The students have yet to arrive, but they'll be in time for supper," Dumbledore explained. He was giving her a tour of the castle, and they were on the last leg of it. 

"I feel like Daenerys Targaryen," she muttered to herself. Dumbledore looked at her questioningly, but brushed it off.

"I'm afraid, Miss Potter, that since you are in fact a Squib, you are unable to be Sorted. So instead of making you stay in the dormitories I thought it wise to give you the spare classroom near the dungeons." They came to a stop in front of a large wooden door with an intricate handle. "After you," Dumbledore said politely, opening the door. 

Maisie walked in and looked around. It was an empty classroom with a large window to the left overlooking the lake. A blackboard sat on the far wall, still displaying the ingredients to a specific potion written in white chalk. The teacher's desk still sat in front of the blackboard with a chair, but all the student's desks and chairs were out of the room. Instead, a queen-size bed sat against the wall to the right, facing the window. 

"After supper tonight, I shall send your brother to help you re-organize everything to your liking. I'll be leaving you now, Miss Potter. Supper begins in precisely one hour." With a curt nod and a smile, Dumbledore turned and left.

"Well," Maisie sighed, looking around the room, "I guess I should change into something more appropriate."

\---------------

Okay, so Maisie felt extremely underdressed. She wore a simple black dress with black wedged combat boots and a black Hogwarts cloak given to her by Dumbledore. She quickly entered the Great Hall, avoiding any human interaction until she caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting together. Maisie quickly walked over and slid herself next to Harry. 

"I feel like everyone's staring," she whispered to Harry. He looked around quickly before looking back to her.

"Oh, ha, not at all," he said, although Maisie could feel the eyes on her.

She looked around the room, seeing four tables. One table had students dressed in yellow, the one she was sitting at seemed to be red, one table seemed to be blue and the last was a dark green. 

"The tables are all sorted by House," said Hermione, noticing the girl looking around in wonder. "That's Hufflepuff, we're Gryffindor, they're Ravenclaw, and those are the Slytherins."

"Slimy gits," Ron muttered, before Hermione smacked him with her book. 

"What?! They are!" he protested.

"They're not the nicest of people. Just try and steer clear of them," Harry said.

Maisie nodded and looked around once more, accidentally making eye contact with one of the boys at the Slytherin table. He had a pale, angular face and hair so blonde it looked bleached. He stared at her unflinchingly and Maisie quickly cast her eyes down, looking away. She started a conversation with Fred and George about the pranks they had in mind this year, but she could still feel the boy's cold gaze on her. His bright hair seemed fluorescent in her peripheral vision, so that she was constantly aware of his presence. 

"Check this out," said Fred, pulling out a piece of candy from his pocket. 

"It's called a Puking Pastille," George cut in.

"And it's not very pleasant," Fred finished. 

"Tell me more," Maisie said mischievously.

\---------------

After dinner, the trio were nervous about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. But no matter how much Maisie pestered them, none of the three would give her a straight answer about it. 

"Fine. I give up. But Harry, you have to come help me decorate my room."

He groaned. "Can't Hermione--"

"Nope. Dumbledore said you. So let's go!" Maisie said cheerfully, hooking her arm through Harry's and pulling him in the direction of her room. Ron and Hermione snickered and turned around, walking to their common room. The siblings reached the door and Maisie opened it, flicking the lightswitch and pulling Harry inside. 

"...You got a whole classroom?" Harry said in awe. 

"Yep. I'm amazing."

"Well... I suppose we should get started," he said. 

Two hours later, Harry had found random objects to Transfigure (well, he needed Hermione's help with some things) to make Maisie's room complete. Her belongings had been delivered to the door so all that was left to do was unpack.

"Are you sure you'll be alright? You can always come stay with me, or Hermione wouldn't mind--"

"Harry. I promise I'm fine. Get to bed, you have school tomorrow!" Maisie scolded him.

"Fine. But, wait-- just... if you see Umbridge--"

"Who? The pink frog woman?"

"...Yes. Her. If you see her, just get out of her way. She-- I don't trust her. None of us do."

"Alright... I will."

"Thank you. So--"

"Okay Potter, time for bed. Come visit me tomorrow after your classes, will ya? Bye!" Maisie tried to shut the door. 

"I-- ugh, fine. Goodnight, sis." He turned and started walking away. 

Maisie waited until he was a safe distance away and a few more people were in the hallway before shouting  _"I love you, Harry!"_ at the top of her lungs to embarrass him. Harry turned and rolled his eyes as the students in the hallway stared between the two teenagers.

"I love you as well," he muttered awkwardly before speed walking away. Maisie burst out laughing and shut the door, closing the lock on it. 

Maisie sighed happily and looked around at her room. To be honest it was... decked out. 

Black curtains covered the window on the wall. Harry had helped her hang soft yellow Christmas lights along the wall and Transfigured two bookcases. There was a wardrobe next to the bookcases, a stand for her guitars, and-- her personal favorite-- an electrical outlet. 

Maisie unzipped her duffle bag and started to unpack.

\---------------

At seven AM, her alarm went off. Groaning, she pressed the 'off' button, changing into a pair of black leggings with a blue tank top and her black hoodie. She slipped on a pair of tennis shoes and grabbed her keys, walking out to meet everyone for breakfast. 

The Great Hall was slowly filling up with tired students waiting to start their first day of school. Maisie was the only one not in a Hogwarts uniform, and she felt exposed. Instead of worrying, she turned to Harry.

"Are you excited for your first day of school, little baby brother?" she teased, pinching his cheek. Harry smacked her hand away.

"I'm older than you by twenty minutes," he stated proudly. 

"Whatever. What about you guys?" she asked, looking over at Ron and Hermione. Ron was devouring his breakfast and seemed to be on his third plate. Hermione watched him eat with a sickened look in her face.

"I'm very excited!" she exclaimed, pulling out her schedule and explaining it to Maisie. 

"Hermione, she doesn't care about what classes you're taking," Ron complained.

"Well excuse me, Ronald," she retorted, before beginning to lecture him. However, Maisie didn't hear what she said next because she accidentally made eye contact with the blonde Slytherin boy again.

"Will you two quit bickering already?" Harry snapped, causing her to shift back to attention. 

Harry poured himself a mug of coffee before dumping cream and approximately half a cup of sugar in it. Was he going to...? Oh no. 

Harry lifted the cup to his lips and took a drink from it. Unbelievable.

"Oh my god... ew."

Harry looked at her. "What?"

"...You just butchered that coffee," Maisie stated.

"I did not. Here, try it," he said, holding it out to her. Maisie made a face and took it from him, cautiously taking a sip. As soon as the lukewarm liquid hit her tongue, she pulled her mouth back from the cup and handed it back to Harry, forcing herself to swallow the creamy, sweet drink.

"Oh my god. I'm gonna puke," she said dramatically.

"What's wrong with it?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time.

"This is how you drink coffee, boys. Watch and learn." She picked up the coffee pot and poured the dark brown liquid into her mug, breathing in the enticing aroma as it lifted in waves of smoke. Maisie lifted the cup to her lips and drank the entire mug of hot liquid in about fifteen seconds.

"Ew," Harry laughed, shoving her shoulder. 

"It's not my fault you're a bunch of pus--  _pansies!_ " She corrected herself as the lady Harry warned her about, Umbridge, walked up the aisle behind them. The woman looked at Maisie sharply before walking away.

The trio laughed at her and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. 

\---------------

Once the students left the Great Hall to go to class, Maisie decided to wander the grounds. She put her headphones in and jogged around the 'Quidditch pitch' for a while, then decided to go out to the Black Lake. Once she was there, she sat under a tree, looking out at the enormous lake. 

'I wonder how many different animals are in there. Are they normal animals or creatures? I wonder if it's safe to swim in...' All her inquiring brought her to the library. She found an empty table and sat down with her four books, and began to read about the aquatic creatures residing in the Black Lake.

'So, there are merpeople, grindylows, a giant squid... well, there's not a 'no swimming' sign,' she thought to herself. 

After returning the books to the correct shelves, Maisie found herself at a particular row that seemed to be encaged. Testing her luck, she pulled on the metal door-- it didn't budge. 

She had a feeling that there were many secrets hidden within these walls.

 

 

 


	3. After Hours

When Maisie walked into the Great Hall for dinner that night, Harry looked immensely relieved.

"Where were you at lunch?! None of us saw you," he said as she sat down next to him. 

"Yeah, sorry about that... I was in the library all day and got a bit distracted. There's so much I don't know about this world," she explained. 

"See, Harry? I told you she was fine. In fact, she's more than fine, reading," Hermione pointed out. 

"Yeah, exactly. I was getting an education," Maisie joked, sticking her tongue out at Harry. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, smiling. 

Maisie looked over at the Slytherin table, and sure enough, there was the blonde boy, in the same spot he'd always sat in. 

"Hey Harry, don't look, but who's that bleach-headed kid over at the Slytherin table?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione went silent. 

"That's Malfoy. You should stay away from him... He's--"

"He's a bloody foul git is what he is," Ron muttered. This time Hermione didn't hit him, just sighed. 

"He's not the kindest person. He has a prejudice against people like you and I," Hermione added.

"So... girls? He's gay?" Maisie asked, confused.  Harry choked on his pumpkin juice and Ron coughed around his chicken wing before erupting in a fit of laughter. 

"No, I mean as in what we are. I'm a muggleborn, and you're a-- you're non-magical--"

"A Squib... so he only sees blood status?" 

"Yes, exactly. He's not someone you want to be around," Harry said carefully. 

"Hmm... good to know."

\---------------

It was two AM and Maisie had been tossing and turning for hours. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to drift off to sleep. After debating for a while, she decided to wander the halls of the castle. 

She pulled on a pair of leggings and an oversized black t-shirt with her boots and walked out the door. The castle was very quiet at night. The only sounds were the dancing flames of the torches and her own footsteps. The torches along the walls cast shadows in the hallways, making it a bit more eerie. 

Out of nowhere, Maisie got the feeling that she was being watched.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, holding her palm out. So far, she couldn't sense any supernatural presences. 

"Is anyone there?" she whispered, eyes closed, feeling for any change in temperature or air pressure.

Silence was her response.

Maisie sighed and shook her head. She kept walking, stopping every now and then to look at the statues and decorations around the castle. She walked by a room full of stone knights that seemed to give her an immense amount of comfort. Strange, because usually life-size statues and the like made her extremely uncomfortable.

Soon, she came to four large glass tubes, each with a different amount of colored crystals contained inside. Red, green, yellow, and blue. 

'These must be the house points,' she realized. 

After another ten minutes of roaming the halls, she began to make her way back to her room. 

Suddenly, a figure appeared out of the shadows and shoved her harshly against the wall, a hand covering her mouth and a wand tip resting lightly on her throat. 

Maisie looked up at her attacker... and recognized the boy from the Slytherin table. 

"No one seems to know who you are, sweetheart," he said menacingly. "So I want answers. Who are you?" He moved his hand from her mouth to the wall next to her head but kept his want trained on her throat. 

"Dude, if you do that again, you're gonna regret it," she hissed in anger. He looked taken aback at her American accent but quickly regained his composure.

"You're not in a position to be making threats...  _Expelliarmus."_  

Nothing happened. The boy frowned and said the word again. 

"Come again?" Maisie asked, confused out of her mind. What the hell did he want?

"Where is your wand?" he asked.

"I-- who are you?" she asked quickly. 

 _"Where is your wand?"_ he asked again.

"I don't have one," she answered quickly. 

"...What's your name?"

"What's yours?" she countered. He rolled his eyes. 

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. Now what is your name?" he hissed. 

"Potter. Maisie Potter," she said, mocking him. "God, you sound like James Bo--"

" _Potter?_ Are you related to Harry Potter?"

"Yes, I'm his sister. And if you'll excuse me, he warned me to stay away from you, so--" She tried to shove past him, but he caught her shoulder and pushed her back against the wall. 

"Okay, dude, stop touching--"

"Where is your wand?" he asked yet again. 

"Oh, my g-- I don't have one. I do not have a wand."

"Why not?" 

She didn't answer, instead looking around for an escape route. 

"Answer me," he demanded, poking her throat with his wand and she jumped.

"I'm non-magical."

He looked at her for a few seconds before quickly taking a step back.

"You're a filthy Squib," he said in disgust.

"Excuse me?!" she exclaimed before stepping forward and decking him straight across the face. He looked at her in shock, and she could see his cheekbone beginning to redden and swell. "Get the hell away from me, kid," Maisie said, shaking her fist out and walking away back to her room. He didn't try to follow her.

\---------------

At seven AM, Maisie got out of bed and dressed in a long black sundress accented with a gray and black smoky eye before walking to the Great Hall for breakfast. She didn't notice the rather purple bruises on her right knuckles until she slid her rings and bracelets on that morning. 'This'll be fun to explain to Harry,' she thought in annoyance. 

"Morning, guys," she said as she slid between Harry and Seamus. As soon as she looked up, she caught sight of Malfoy at the Slytherin table-- glaring at her. His left cheekbone was purple, a perfect match to her knuckles. Maisie smiled politely at him before reaching for a coffee cup. 

"Whoa, what the-- Maisie, what happened to your hand?!" Harry exclaimed, grabbing her wrist and looking at her knuckles. Ron and Hermione sat at attention, looking at her expectantly. 

"Ha... well, it's a long story. Don't look now, but check out your friend Malfoy." Of course, all three turned to stare straight at him. "Damn it, didn't I just say--"

She was cut off by Harry standing up.

"Hey! Woah, woah, woah! What do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him back down onto the bench. 

"What the bloody hell happened?" he asked, looking worried. 

"Malfoy got beat up by a girl!" Ron whisper-yelled to Fred and George, who also turned to look at the boy. They immediately started laughing and passed on the message.

"I was just walking around the castle last night because I couldn't get to sleep, and he just appeared out of nowhere and started interrogating me, asking who I was and everything. And he called me a 'filthy Squib' and it pissed me off. So I decked him," she said, shrugging. 

"So she decked him," Harry repeated. "Unbelievable. I told you not--"

"Hey, shhh. He stopped bothering me. I handled it. Thank you."

There was an awkward silence.

"So, what do grindylows eat?" Maisie asked, trying to break the silence.

\---------------

"Ron, you really should make an effort to read more," Hermione complained. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Maisie were sitting in a circle on the grass in front of the Black Lake, enjoying the first Saturday of the school year. 

"Why? You've basically read every book in existence, Hermione, you can just tell me the answers," he replied. "So what's the definition?"

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, reading off a definition to Ron as he copied it lazily on a piece of parchment. 

"Wow Ron, you're a real charmer," Maisie said sarcastically. Hermione snorted and Ron opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off. 

"Potter!" Malfoy's voice called from behind the twins. Ron and Hermione looked up at him as Harry and Maisie turned around.

"Which one did you want?" Maisie asked. Harry squeezed her arm in warning. 

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked, putting on a brave face. 

"Oh, nothing much, Potter. Just wondering why you brought your disgusting little Squib into Hogwarts," he said. The two boys behind him snickered as if he was funny.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want another one so your cheeks match?" Maisie asked sweetly, pulling back her fist.

"Maisie!" Harry exclaimed, grabbing it and tugging it down. 

"Get lost," she said to the three Slytherins, rolling her eyes.

"Watch your back, Potter," he spat at her before turning and walking away quickly. 

Ron immediately burst out laughing.

"He flinched! Hahaha! Maisie, that was brilliant!" They high fived.

"Maisie, what the hell did I say? You need to stay away from him, not get even worse on his bad side!" Harry scolded her. 

"Relax, Harry. I need some form of entertainment. He just keeps conveniently popping up and acting like a dick."

 


	4. Insomnia

"You managed to get detention in the second week of class? Smooth," said Maisie as she poured herself a cup of tea. It was Monday night and the students were gathered in the Great Hall for dinner.

"I hate her," Harry replied, glaring at Umbridge from where he sat. 

"Me too. How is it humanly possible to wear that much pink?" Ron exclaimed. 

"It is rather disgusting," Maisie agreed.

"Harry, I know how condescending she is, but you just have to let her say her lies and--" Hermione was cut off.

"Hermione, I know, okay? I just couldn't hold my tongue anymore. She's trying to convince the whole school that You-Know-Who is fake."

"Can I--"

"No," Harry said, cutting his sister off. "Absolutely not."

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" she protested. Harry glared at her. 

"When is your detention, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Tonight. Straight after dinner," he replied with a sigh. 

Maisie got an idea. "Hey, if you let me use the Invisibility Cloak--"

"No!" 

\---------------

Maisie lay on her bed, her laptop open with a Netflix show playing on the screen. That night was the first night she felt something was... off. But she couldn't quite figure out what. It started after she left dinner and had been clawing at her conscience for two hours now.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on her door. 

Maisie paused the show and stood up, grabbing her knife from her nightstand and cautiously opening the door. She sighed in relief when she saw it was just Harry. 

"How was your detention?" she asked, letting him in and shutting the door behind him. 

"Well, I um. I was going to ask if by chance you have any first aid?" He sounded desperate. 

"Why, what's--" Her eyes immediately locked on to the back of his hand. She reached out and grabbed it gently, mouthing the words carved into his skin. 'I must not tell lies'. Her face suddenly went blank.

"Oh hell no," she said, storming towards the door before Harry grabbed her arm in protest. 

"Will you please just help me and we'll figure out what to do about her later?" he pleaded. Maisie felt a small stab of panic but quickly pushed it down. The wounds weren't that serious, at the most they'd leave a scar. 

She rummaged through her drawers before finding her first aid kit and carried it over to the bed, popping it open. 

"Bloody hell," said Harry, because her first aid kit literally looked like it belonged in a hospital. 

Maisie sat next to him and began cleaning the wound on his hand gently.

"Why do you have morphine and adrenaline injections in a first aid kit?" Harry asked in disbelief. 

"Don't judge me. You never know when someone's gonna get shot." He looked at her incredulously.

She paid him no mind as she smeared a clear cream on top of the wound and taped a square of gauze over the wound. 

"Let me change it tomorrow. Try not to get it wet."

"Alright... thanks." He had no idea why she had so many medical supplies but shrugged it off. 

"Aww, you're welcome little brother," she said, and he rolled his eyes before correcting her again. 

\---------------

It was 3 AM and Maisie was alone. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling as "Stitch" by Wage War blasted through her speaker. It was a wonder the music hadn't woken anyone up--

_Knock knock knock._

Damn it.

She threw on a long robe and left the music playing but grabbed her knife. The teen opened the door cautiously, half expecting to see Harry.

Instead, Draco Malfoy stood in front of her.

"Um, no. Bye." She tried to close the door but his hand caught it. 

"Potter, can we talk?" he asked in a voice that, for once, wasn't menacing or rude. 

"...About what?"

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "May I please come in?"

"Ugh. Fine." She let him in and closed the door behind him. 

"Is that... is that music?" he asked, pointing to her speaker which was still blaring the same song. 

"Um, yeah. Hold on." She turned the volume down to where the song was barely audible. Maisie sat down on the edge of her bed and motioned for him to sit next to her. He did so cautiously, eyeing the knife she had just put down on her nightstand.

"What did you want to talk about, Malfoy? The only reason I let you in is because you're being nice for once."

"I wanted to apologize."

"Oh? Well, that's sweet. Thank you."

There was an awkward silence. 

"I didn't know you had a tattoo," he said, nodding to her exposed collarbone, which showcased her and Harry's shared birthday in Roman numerals. 

"I have about twenty-seven of them," she said and watched with amusement as his eyes widened.

"Er... what?"

"Underneath the long sleeves and long pants I wear."

"Oh." It was silent again.

"Hang on a second," Maisie said, walking over to the desk and reaching underneath it, pulling out two short glasses and a bottle of amber liquid. She poured about an inch of it into each and walked back over to the Slytherin, handing him a glass. 

"Go on, it's just scotch," she said before taking a drink of her own. He did the same and, surprisingly, didn't flinch at the taste like most people do. 

"This is nowhere near as good as fire whiskey," he muttered, before taking another sip. 

"I have no idea what that is, but this is Muggle alcohol. Pretty good."

"I don't mean to be rude. But how-- why are you here if you're a-- non-magical?"

Maisie took another drink and sighed, running her hand through her hair.

"Well, me and Harry were separated after the night he got the scar. I wasn't part of You-Know-Who's plan, so I didn't get any scars from a rebounded curse or anything. But just to keep us safe and slim down the chances of him finding us both, Dumbledore sent me to an orphanage in America and sent Harry to our aunt and uncle in Surrey. Since he's back now, Dumbledore thought it would be safer for me to be here, where You-Know-Who won't expect me to be."

He took in her words and nodded in understanding.

"Sorry about... you know, threatening you with my wand and everything," he said.

"That's okay... Sorry for decking you in the face." He smiled briefly. 

"It's quite alright. I deserved it."

"I mean, yeah," she agreed. The two laughed.

"So what about you?" she asked. "What's your story?"

"It's not much of one, really. My family's pureblooded. We've all been in Slytherin... I think that's really it. I don't have a tragic backstory to tell."

"Well then, consider yourself lucky, Draco." She poured the remainder of the amber liquid down her throat and let out a breath, placing the empty glass down on her nightstand. He quickly did the same, trying to keep up. Maisie noticed this but didn't mention it. 

"I consider myself very lucky, Maisie," he retorted. 

"Sounds pretty conceited, wow." Draco scoffed at that. 

The two talked for two more hours, sharing laughs and ideas until the clock read five thirty AM. The once full bottle of scotch now only held a quarter of the contents it did at the beginning of the night.

"Well Draco, I'd love to talk some more, but it seems my meds are just now kicking in and I'm about to pass out," Maisie said lethargically, laying back on the bed and pulling up the blankets to her shoulders.

"Yeah, I think I feel the same way," he muttered, sitting in the same place until Maisie lightly tugged on his arm. He got underneath the blankets next to her and they lay there in silence for a moment.

"We're sharing a bed," Maisie said half-consciously.

"Yes, we are. I'm..." And Draco was out. Maisie's consciousness fled soon after his and she fell into a deep sleep.


	5. Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for this chapter: flashbacks/mentions of rape/sexual assault

_"Please stop," Maisie whispered to her attacker, too weak to do anything else. She could barely keep her eyes open from whatever he had drugged her with, and moving by herself was nearly impossible. The creaking of the mattress underneath her and the pain in her lower half was the only thing_ _grounding her to reality._

_"Shh, it's okay. It'll be over soon. Relax."_

_"No," she protested weakly, trying to push him off of her. John grabbed her wrists painfully and she let out a sob._

_"If you hadn't have tried to hit me, I wouldn't have had to drug you, you fucking slut," he growled in her ear, thrusting himself into her harder. Maisie whined sharply in pain and squeezed her eyes shut. His thrusts became even harder and faster, the headboard on his bed nearly banging against the wall._

_"Stop, stop, please--"_

 

Maisie jolted awake, her stomach dropping and anxiety ripping at her body as she recalled her dream. (Honestly, a better word for it would be flashback.) She sat up and brought a shaky hand to her face, resting her head on it for a few seconds and trying to regain her composure. A small annoying throb began in her head. And then in her peripheral vision, a small movement caught her attention.

_Oh shit._

Malfoy lay in the bed next to her, still seemingly asleep. Maisie's eyes widened as she tried to recall what had happened the night before. They both still had clothes on-- that was a good sign. The last thing she remembered was talking to him about his family over a few glasses of scotch-- and the rest was blank. 

She wasn't sore anywhere (except her headache), there were no mysterious purple spots on her neck, Malfoy was fully dressed in his school uniform-- She sighed in relief. She'd have undoubtedly remembered if anything had happened. 

Maisie reached quietly over to her nightstand and checked the time-- seven thirty AM--and then suddenly, the throb in her head turned into a steady pounding and the room seemed to spin around her... A hangover. Great.

Maisie slowly lay back in the bed, closing her eyes and shielding them with her arm. The mattress next to her creaked and a soft groan met her ears. She looked over to see Draco sitting up, clutching his forehead.

"Hangover?" she mumbled. Without looking at her, he nodded in affirmation. 

"You too?" he asked, looking over at her. She nodded slowly, trying not to move her head too quickly. Malfoy reached into his robes and pulled out his wand (and although she'd never admit it, Maisie tensed a bit) and he rested the tip against his temple, muttering a spell under his breath. After a few seconds, he sighed in relief and looked over at Maisie. 

"Would you like me to get rid of it for you?" he asked, raising his wand a bit. Maisie flinched slightly, then quickly said "No" in embarrassment, looking away. 

"...Are you sure? It's only a simple--"

"No, thank you," she said, a little too quickly. She was too pained and anxious to bother with trying to hide her nervousness.

He studied her curiously for a few moments.

"What's wrong?"

"Headache, body ache, nausea--"

"Besides that," he said, looking into her eyes. Maisie looked away awkwardly. "Something's bothering you."

She was silent as he watched her. After a few moments, she finally spoke.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you another time. Right now I just need to sleep off this hangover," she sighed, rubbing her hands over her face.

"Right," he said. "Well... I have class in an hour. I should be going." He stood up and Maisie sat up, watching him.

"Okay," she replied, watching as he quickly slid his shoes on and straightened his tie.

"Malfoy, I just have to say, if you keep acting like a dick to my brother, I'll have no choice but to maim you," she threatened. He looked up and smirked.

"In that state? That's hardly believable." She glared at him until he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright! I'll do my best." She smiled, satisfied, and laid back in the bed.

"Close the door when you leave, will you?" She heard him chuckle under his breath. The door opened and shut, and she heard his footsteps descending down the hall.

'That was awkward as hell,' she thought.

Only when she was completely sure she was alone did she allow the tears to stream down her face as her dream clawed its way to the front of her mind.

\---------------

The sun was nearly gone by the time she woke up again. She'd slept off her hangover, although she still had yet to step foot outside her room. She checked the time; half an hour until dinner. Stretching carefully, she got out of the bed and walked over to the dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans with a black tank top and her black hoodie. She grabbed a pair of black combat boots and slid them on, then sat down in front of the mirror.

She looked terrible.

Dark bags circled her slightly puffy eyes, her face looked paler than normal, and her back was slumped in exhaustion. She needed to make herself look presentable, or else Harry would start asking questions. 

He still didn't know what had happened with John. In fact, he didn't even know John existed. She could only imagine what Harry would do if he found out what the boy had done to her...

Deciding to distract herself, she applied a nude eyeshadow with black eyeliner, a touch of mascara and a light coat of foundation.

She definitely didn't look as lively as she usually did, but she could just pass it off as being tired. 

She slid her rings and bracelets onto her hands, brushed through her dark, wavy hair half-heartedly, and left her bedroom.

As she walked through the halls, she noticed a few students doing double-takes or staring at her. What the hell?

She rolled her eyes, annoyed, and walked faster to the Great Hall. Entering the doorway, she caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who all looked troubled. 

"Heya guys," she said, sliding next to Hermione and across from Harry and Ron. 

"Hey," Ron and Hermione said at the same time, but Harry was silent. He didn't look up at her. 

"Um... did I do something wrong?" she asked, confused. Ron and Hermione looked at each other guiltily, looked over at Harry, then looked back at each other. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Harry cut her off, eyes blazing.

"How was Malfoy last night?"

Her stomach dropped and she swore her heart stopped beating.

"Um... what are you accusing me of?"

He glared up at her, and he looked royally pissed off.

"Everyone in Slytherin says Malfoy didn't show up in the dorms last night. And then people saw him leaving  _your_ room this morning. It's not that hard to imagine what happened."

"So you think I  _slept with him?"_ she exclaimed, nearly in disbelief. His glare didn't falter.

"I'm not daft. I can't believe you."

"Harry--" Hermione started.

"No, Hermione! It's disgusting and I will  _not_ have my sister sleeping around with--"

Maisie stood up, glaring at him fiercely.

"For your  _information,_ Harry, the only reason he was with me last night is because he wanted to apologize to me. It was nothing more than talking, and I did  _not_ sleep with him. But you know what? Either way, _mind your own goddamn business._ " She stood up quickly and turned, walking straight out the doors and ignoring Ron and Hermione's calls of her name.

\---------------

The grounds were exceptionally dark and quiet. Maisie made her way to the edge of the Black Lake and kicked off her boots, walking straight into the water. The water got gradually deeper the more she walked in, and she kept going until she could no longer touch the bottom. Sighing, she held her breath and slowly submerged herself, then opened her eyes under the water. 

The moonlight softly illuminated the bottom of the lake, and to her surprise, it wasn't murky with algae. A few fish swam underneath her and the aquatic plants swayed softly in the current. It was peaceful... it felt like home. If only she could live here, underneath the water-- no one to hurt her, or judge her. Just the soft current and the creatures swimming around in harmony.

She swam upwards and her head broke the surface, little ripples surrounding her as she breathed in the nighttime air. She moved to a spot closer to the shore, where she could sit with her legs crossed and the water only touched her neck. Closing her eyes and clearing her mind, she tried to determine the direction of the current and adopt the serene calmness of the water. 

Something soft brushed against her upper arm and she slowly looked down, seeing what looked to be a two-foot-long eel circling her. She could feel its spirit; it meant her no harm. 

Maisie smiled softly and reached her hand out slowly, and the eel swam up to her, pressing its head against her palm before sliding its whole body along her arm, almost as if it was trying to comfort her. Its bright green eyes reflected in the moonlight as it stared at her curiously. She reached out to gently pet along its back, feeling the smooth, slimy skin underneath her fingertips. 

The eel gave her hand one last friendly nudge before swimming back into the depths of the lake.

Maisie sighed in content, then stood up and walked back to the shore. Water poured off her and she slid her boots back on (with quite a bit of difficulty) and made her way back into the castle. 

Just as she walked inside, she caught sight of a group of students standing in front of a wall... led by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. 

Harry made eye contact with her accidentally, then did a double take. 

She turned and walked the other way, deciding to take the long route back to her room. She was curious about what the students were doing, but at the same time, she didn't really want to know. 

She walked briskly back to her room and locked the door behind her, ignoring the pangs of hunger that rolled around in her stomach. She laid in her bed in the dark room, crying until sleep took her mind-- and tortured her with the same flashback dream over and over.

 


	6. Halloween

It was Halloween morning and Maisie, for once, was ecstatic. She looked forward to being holed up in her room all day reading horror stories, watching slasher films, and maybe even fooling around with her ouija board a bit. Six pumpkin-scented candles burned, casting long, flickering shadows on the stone walls of her makeshift room. Honestly, they were her saving grace— everlasting candles were her favorite magical invention as of yet.

No matter how many times the past few months Um-bitch had stopped her in the hallways for ‘inappropriate attire’ or knocked on her door at two AM demanding she ‘turn off that dreadful music’, nothing and no one — not even Umbridge— could spoil her mood for her favorite holiday. 

She refused to acknowledge that this was also the anniversary of her parents’ deaths.

Maisie made her bed quickly and changed into a black spaghetti strap skater dress with black knee-high socks and her trusty black Doc Martens. After adjusting her outfit in the mirror, she applied some simple black winged eyeliner and straightened her dark hair. She grabbed her black shoulder bag of gifts she’d gotten for her friends and then left the room to get breakfast.

As she neared the doors of the Great Hall with Green Day playing through her headphones, she heard a sudden yell of “Hey! Potter!” and felt a hand lightly grab her left shoulder. Maisie turned quickly, ready to draw her fist back and punch in reflex, until she saw who it was. 

“Oh — Malfoy, what are you—“

“Can I have a word?” He looked around a bit nervously but then made eye contact with her again. Maisie nodded and pulled her headphones out, following him to a nearby empty corridor. 

“So what’s up? Are you… alright?” she asked cautiously. She still didn’t really know how to act around him— after the night they’d spent together, they hadn’t communicated much except in passing nods and small talk when Harry wasn’t around to overhear.

“I noticed you and Potter— er, _Harry,_ haven’t been talking. You seem… upset.”

Maisie sighed in annoyance. “He’s hiding something from me and I’m pissed about it, there’s really not much more to it than that. It’s nothing to worry about.”

Draco looked flustered. “Well, what I meant to ask— I just wanted to— would you come sit at the Slytherin table for breakfast today?”

Maisie smiled, surprised. “Of course.” Harry wouldn’t talk to her anyway. Maybe he’d see and get mad enough to actually say something to her. 

“Alright. Great. Yeah, that’s—“

“C’mon, Draco,” she cut him off, saving him the embarrassment, “I’m starving!” Quickly grabbing him by the hand and pulling him towards the Great Hall, Maisie felt a fair amount of her pent up stress melt away. Draco’s stomach dropped for a split second when he heard ‘Draco’ and not ‘Malfoy’ come from her mouth for the first time in months. 

 

As the two entered the Great Hall, they both noticed multiple pairs of eyes following them as they walked to the Slytherin table. It didn’t help that Maisie stuck out like a sore thumb, being the only one not in a Hogwarts uniform, her tattoos on display for all the world to see. She still held Draco’s hand but didn’t pay it much mind— meanwhile, his blood pressure was through the roof and he _nearly_ cracked a true smile in front of the entire school. 

Maisie slid into the Slytherin booth next to Blaise Zabini and Draco sat on her right. She smirked and cast her eyes down when she noticed Harry glaring between her and Malfoy from the Gryffindor table. 

“So what do you guys usually do for fun here on Halloween?” she asked conversationally, placing a pile of eggs and bacon on her plate. 

“We have the day off from classes, so there’s that,” Draco said anticlimactically, cutting in to his own breakfast. 

“Hmm… I know something we can do,” she said happily and then began eating. She looked around in wonder at the jack-o-lanterns floating above the students and smiled at the lightning flashing on the ceiling. 

Draco, Blaise, and Maisie struck up a conversation about whether or not pumpkin would taste good in coffee— by the end of breakfast, Blaise and Draco had both begged her to one day take them to the “Starbucks” she so affectionately mentioned so they could taste the iconic “pumpkin spice latte” she had brought up. 

“It has to be good if so many people drink it,” Draco said, and Blaise nodded in agreement. 

“Alright, I’ll find some way to take you,” she laughed. The boys smirked at her in triumph. 

 

Soon the food started to disappear off the table and at least an hour had passed. Maisie and Draco stood, ready to leave the Great Hall.

“So, today I was thinking we could—“ Maisie was cut off by a girl sliding right in between her and Draco with a smirk on her face and a glint in her eye. Pansy Parkinson. This was the girl Draco seemed to always be running away from.

Pansy smiled wide and fake and began speaking loudly.

“Hello, my name is Pansy Parkinson. Pleasure to finally meet you. If you don’t mind, I think Draco and I have somewhere to go. But it has truly been a pleasure!“ She extended her hand out to Maisie, staring intensely at her.

“Oh, sure.” Maisie smiled back, just as fake, and placed her empty coffee cup into Pansy’s outstretched hand, then walked right past her. Pansy was completely shellshocked, and did a double-take between the mug she was now holding and the girl behind her. 

“It was a pleasure,” Maisie said sweetly over her shoulder, and Draco quickly followed her out of the Great Hall, stifling his laughter. Behind them, Blaise and at least half of the Slytherin table roared with laughter. Even Ron and Hermione were laughing, and Harry was trying to hold his laughter in as they neared the Gryffindor table. 

“I’ll be right back,” she told Draco once they were outside, and she walked back into the hall. Maisie walked up to her favorite Gryffindor trio and smiled excitedly, reaching into her bag. 

 “Happy Halloween!” she said, and handed Harry, Ron, and Hermione each a pumpkin-scented everlasting candle. 

“Thanks, Maisie!” Ron exclaimed, overlapping Hermione’s cry of “Aw, thank you!”

“Happy Halloween,” Harry said back to her, smiling a bit sheepishly. Maisie leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her older brother’s cheek, rustling his hair and quickly walking out of the hall before he even had time to react.

“Well, like I was saying before,” she said to Draco as she walked up to him, “I was thinking we could just go to my room and watch horror movies all day.” 

“What exactly are horror movies?” Draco asked, slightly confused.

“…Follow me.”

 

\---------------

 

It was now three PM, and Maisie and Draco had been holed up in her room all day, watching horror films and reading horror stories— the perfect date. 

‘Shit! Is this a date…?’ she thought to herself, looking over at the boy next to her. He was completely engrossed in _Halloween II,_ watching Michael Myers chase Laurie Strode through the hospital. 

Maisie decided to leave the thought alone for now and leaned back on her pillows next to him, giggling slightly as Michael Myers choked a nurse to death. Draco smirked at her reaction, his eyes flicking over to her just as hers went back to the screen. 

She lost her focus, invested in the movie soon enough, barely noticing as her head came to rest on his chest. Draco’s arm wrapped lightly around her shoulders and the two slowly nodded off in the comfortable position, the sound of screaming and destruction slowly fading as they both fell into a light sleep.


	7. Legilimens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for sexual assault flashbacks.

Draco woke up to the sound of Michael Myers’ signature creepy, fast-paced piano music— the credits on the movie were rolling. He looked up at the clock on Maisie’s wall; it was almost five PM. Said girl was still lightly asleep, her head resting on his chest and one arm slung over his abdomen. She looked peaceful, and nowadays that was a rare sight. She always seemed troubled lately, whether from something Umbridge did or something her brother did. 

He smiled softly as he admired the tattoos adorning her arm. Tattoos were so rare to see in the wizarding world, since they’d mostly been deemed a ‘Muggle practice’ (other than the Dark Mark, of course). He ghosted his fingers over one of the designs, a jack-o-lantern. She really did love Halloween.

Slowly, Maisie began to stir, and she opened her eyes.

“Ugh, what time is it?” she groaned, blinking her bleary eyes. 

“About five o’clock,” Draco replied as she sat up. 

“Well, did you like the movie before we passed out?” she laughed softly. 

“I did, very much,” he told her with a smirk. 

“Good!” 

 

\---------------

 

After they ate dinner, Draco took Maisie out on a walk to the Forbidden Forest. They sat underneath a large oak tree, listening to the peaceful rhythm of the wind blowing through the trees. They’d been there for over an hour, and as the night grew colder, the two grew closer together. Draco had an arm around Maisie and she leaned her head on his shoulder affectionately. He sat up and used two fingers to lift her chin and they made eye contact. Maisie smiled softly at him, the moon reflecting in her dark eyes. The two stared at each other for a few moments— and then Draco made a split-second decision. He leaned in and softly pressed his lips against hers, waiting for her to shove him off and laugh— but instead, she rested both arms around him and leaned into the kiss. 

Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled.

 

\---------------

 

Over the next few months, Draco and Maisie spent time with each other whenever they could. Harry still wasn’t too fond of it— but he’d gotten over his quarrel with his sister and was back on good terms with her.

Everything seemed to be going well, except for the fact that Umbridge seemed to seize more and more control over the school each day.

But everything came to a climax one night in December when Maisie was awoken at four in the morning by a frantic pounding at her door. Maisie quickly grabbed her glasses from her nightstand, not having time to put in her contacts, and threw open her door. Ginny stood there, terrified. 

“In Dumbledore’s office—it’s Harry,” she cried, and Maisie all but sprinted past her towards the office.

She must have looked ridiculous with her black shorts and Marilyn Manson half shirt, sprinting through the hals, but she didn’t care. She needed to help Harry.

“What’s happening to me?!” Harry demanded desperately just as his sister flew into the room. Following closely behind her were Professor Snape and Ginny.

“You wished to see me, Headmaster?” Snape asked curtly.

“Oh, Severus,” Dumbledore said, “I’m afraid it can’t wait. Not even until morning.”

Dumbledore explained that there seemed to be a mind link between Harry and Voldemort, causing Harry to have a dream— or a vision— of Mr. Weasley being attacked by the evil man’s snake. 

Dumbledore and Snape stepped to the side to converse quietly with the Weasleys, who had been escorted to the office by McGonagall. Maisie was immediately at her brother’s side, wrapping her arms around him tightly and ignoring the sweat he was drenched in. 

“I’m okay,” he said shakily, and Maisie felt tears spring to her eyes. She remembered their rare conversations over the phone when they were younger— Harry would tell her how awfully he was treated and still insist that he was fine, although she knew he wasn’t. 

“You’re not,” she whispered to him, and he hugged her back tightly in reassurance. 

Soon after that, Snape took Harry by the arm and led him out of the room, while Dumbledore asked Maisie questions about whether there were any nightmares or visions she’d had recently. After questioning her thoroughly, he told her that the next night she would have an ‘Occlumency lesson’ with Snape, “just as a precaution,” he’d said. 

 

So the next night, Maisie found herself waiting for the professor outside of the Slytherin common room, dressed in a pair of black leggings and a black longsleeve to shield her from the nighttime chill. When Snape finally exited the common room doors, he jerked his head towards her, gesturing for her to follow him. She silently walked behind him until they reached his office, and he opened the door for her. 

“What exactly am I learning?” she asked, looking around at all the jars and potions and cauldrons filling the room. “I don’t exactly have the same power that you all do,” she said awkwardly. Snape regarded her with cold eyes, unflinching. 

“You will be learning the skill of Occlumency. It is not necessarily a magical property such that it is a mental attribute. You must learn to train your mind to shut others out of it.”

Maisie frowned. “So it’s like a psychic block?”

“Essentially.” Maisie nodded. She was glad he didn't speak much.

“So how do we do this?”

“I will attempt to enter your mind, and you must give your best attempt to shut me out. Are you ready?”

“Um… I think so?” Honestly, Maisie was scared shitless. 

“Good. Prepare yourself…” He raised his wand. “ _Legilimens._ ”

 

_She was back in high school, being beaten up all over again. Troy Anderson punched her across the face another time, and the crowd that gathered around them laughed and whooped when she fell to the ground._

_‘What are you gonna do about it, you stupid bitch?’ Troy taunted, and Maisie stood up, blood running down her face, furious._

_‘Fuck you,’ she said, and spat her blood straight onto his shirt. Then she lunged at him and tackled him to the ground, landing two hard blows to his face before three of his other friends joined in, throwing her to the ground._

 

**_Push him out don’t let him see_ **

 

Her vision went back to normal for a split second, and she saw the professor staring at her intently. She couldn’t let him—

 

_The scene changed._

_“What did you give me?” Maisie mumbled, her hand covering the side of her neck where John had just injected her with something. She swayed on her feet. He smiled evilly at her and placed the empty syringe on his nightstand._

_“Just something to calm you down, baby,” he said seductively, yanking her hand down from her neck and pushing her backwards onto the bed._

 

**_Stop stop STOP get out of my head, block him out block him_ **

 

_“John, get off me!” she screamed, trying to struggle away as he licked up and down the side of her neck. John cursed loudly and smacked her hard across the face when she tried to hit him, and tears fell from her eyes as she sobbed. He quickly reached over and grabbed the syringe from his nightstand, sticking it into a bottle of clear liquid and refilling it. Maisie screamed as he stabbed the needle into her neck again, her vision blurring._

_“Please.”_

 

**_Please_ **

 

_“Please stop, please don’t.”_

 

**_Please don’t please get out please stop_ **

 

_John entered her hard and gave her no time to adjust before setting a brutal, painful pace. Blood dripped onto the sheets below her. She tried to scream at him to stop, to plead, but she didn’t have the energy to even scream anymore—_

_"Shh, it's okay. It'll be over soon. Relax."_

 

**_GET OUT!_ **

 

And she threw Snape’s presence from her mind with such ferocity that he nearly fell back against the desk behind him. He was flustered and pale, staring down at her with what seemed to be pity. Maisie gasped for breath and fell to her knees, tears falling from her eyes freely, but she wasn’t sobbing. 

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Snape said grimly, still staring down at her. Maisie picked herself up and stumbled out of his office, unable to stop the tears from pouring out of her eyes. She couldn’t even bring herself to sob and give herself some kind of release; she just gasped and tears poured.

Her feet somehow carried her back to her room, where she collapsed on her floor, clutching a bottle of liquor to her chest and gulping from it until she forgot why she was even upset.

She ended up passing out on her stomach on her bed, on top of the blankets.

This is how Harry found her the next morning when Snape pulled him aside in class to tell him to check on his sister. At first Harry was confused, but then he remembered what the Occlumency lessons had been like for him. He nearly sprinted to her room.  Maisie lay completely passed out, her eyes swollen from crying and ringed with purple, a half-empty bottle of liquor on the floor next to her. Faint black lines painted her cheeks from makeup that had mixed with her tears. He would have thought she was dead if it weren’t for the small rising and falling motions of her back.

Harry blinked back tears and picked up his little sister bridal style, quickly bringing her out into the hallway. She didn’t move at all, and her arm hung limp to her side. Thankfully, most students were in classes so no one saw him carrying an unconscious girl through the hallways. Harry brought her straight to the Hospital Wing to Madam Pomfrey, who immediately called for Snape’s assistance.

Harry lay her on the nearest empty bed and collapsed into the bedside chair, gripping his sister's feverish hand.

Snape entered the room soon, followed closely by Dumbledore. Both looked grim. 

“Is she okay? Did Voldemort get into her head?!” Harry demanded frantically, looking between the two men. 

“She will be strong in Occlumency,” Snape said to him as he poured ingredients into a cauldron. “She needs to practice, but she is strong.”

“It isn’t the Dark Lord who is affecting her this way, Harry,” Dumbledore said sadly, “it’s her own personal demons. There is much she hasn’t told you.”

Harry clenched his jaw and held back tears as Snape carefully poured the pale blue potion into Maisie's mouth, then held her jaw shut until she swallowed it. Immediately the color drained from her face and now she seemed peaceful rather than lifeless. 

He held her hand and ran his other one through his hair. 

What had she been hiding from him?


	8. Aura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW, mentions of sexual assault but nothing graphic

Maisie opened her eyes, sitting straight up in the bed. She wasn’t in her room, she didn’t recognize this place. Where was she?

“Maisie,” said a voice, and she immediately calmed down, recognizing Harry.

“What happened? Where are we?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

“The Hospital Wing. You nearly gave yourself alcohol poisoning.”

Maisie frowned. “What do you m…” Memories of the Occlumency lesson came rushing back to her and her breath caught in her throat as she began to shiver. 

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Harry said softly, pulling her into a hug and stroking the back of her hair soothingly. Maisie took a few deep breaths to calm herself and leaned on him, closing her eyes.

“Did Snape tell you what happened?” she asked nervously. Harry sighed.

“No, he didn’t. But you can’t keep hiding things from me, sis. I’m here for you. Whatever it is, it’s destroying you inside.” 

After nearly an hour of coaxing her into speaking, Maisie finally agreed to tell him.

“You have to promise you won’t tell anyone. It’s bad enough that Snape and Dumbledore know. Please, Harry…” The only other person she’d told was Draco Malfoy after he'd woken her up from a nightmare, and she made him swear not to tell Harry or else she’d maim him.

“You know I wouldn’t tell anyone. I promise.”

Maisie took a deep breath, bracing herself.

“Okay… so do you remember last winter when I didn’t call or write for over a month?” Harry nodded. “Well… The reason I didn’t was because I was recovering. I… I was in the hospital because I was... raped.” She tried to sound strong, but it came out as a whisper. Harry stiffened and she could feel the anger flowing through his veins.

_“Who—“_

“Stop, please just listen,” she cut him off. His fists were clenched in rage, tears forming in his eyes as he took a breath to ground himself. 

“When he finished… and left… I was able to get out of his house. I didn’t know where I was, and I just kept walking until I got to a hospital. I was sick from the cold and from whatever I was drugged with. It was almost a lethal dose… I was in that hospital bed for weeks. When I finally got out and went home, I was scared that you’d somehow find out what happened. So... I didn’t write for a while.”

“So in Snape’s office… he saw your memory.”

“Yes,” Maisie said shakily. Harry sighed heavily and hugged his sister tightly. Never before had she seemed so… _small._

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, holding her tightly as she cried into his shoulder.

 

\---------------

 

“Honestly, I’m fine,” Maisie complained to Madam Pomfrey, who was pouring yet another batch of the blue potion into a cup for her to drink. “Can I please go back to my room?”

“Hush, Potter! Don’t make me call your brother back in here,” the mediwitch threatened. Maisie huffed and picked up the cup, choking down a mouthful of the soap-flavored potion. Madam Pomfrey seemed satisfied and walked back into her office, shutting the door. 

Maisie was half tempted to pour the potion out the window by her bed, but before she could stand up, the doors to the hospital wing opened and in walked a distraught Draco Malfoy. He immediately caught sight of her and sighed in relief, walking over to wrap her in a hug. 

“I heard what happened. No more alcohol for you,” he said threateningly, and Maisie giggled. 

“Trust me, if it keeps me from having to drink this shit again, I’m done with it.” Maisie grimaced at the blue potion sitting on her nightstand and Draco smirked, recognizing it. 

“Hurry and finish it so you can get out of here. I want to spend the last day before Christmas break with you.”

After she gulped down the remaining potion, Madam Pomfrey gave her the okay to leave.

So here she was, blinded and stumbling behind him on the grounds of the school.

“Can I please take off this stupid blindfold?” Maisie groaned as she held Draco’s arm for dear life. He had tied a cloth around her eyes and was leading her somewhere outside, “a surprise” as he had said. She nearly tripped three times, and it was getting annoying. 

“Nope.” He caught her once again as she stepped on an uneven root and lost her balance. 

“This is a damn good blindfold. I didn’t take you for the kinky type, _Draco,”_ she said mock-seductively, then tripped once again. They both howled with laughter.

“Malfoy, I swear to—“

“We’re here. Just step up— perfect. Now sit down.” Draco helped her sit down on a small bench, and then he sat down across from her. There was a sloshing noise and the bench she was sitting on started rocking.

“Are we in a boat?”

“Yes. Now you can take it off.” He reached over and untied the knot behind her head, pulling the cloth away from her eyes just as the boat started moving on its own out to the center of the lake. Maisie smiled in glee and looked over the edge into the black water. The boat stopped in the middle of the lake, and Draco pointed his wand at the water. Suddenly the lake beneath them seemed to illuminate, and Maisie could see the animals swimming around in the water. She laughed excitedly.

“Draco, this is amazing!” He pointed out each of the creatures to her and explained what they were as she listened in amazement. 

“That one looks like a shark,” she giggled, pointing at the dark shape swimming slowly on the lake floor. 

“It is. Only, this kind doesn’t need to live in the ocean.” Maisie gasped and reached a hand into the water, reaching out to feel its aura. 

“Careful. They’re aggressive,” Draco said, trying to pull her arm from the water. She shook him off.

“Shh. Just watch.” 

The shark’s aura came into view— it was a pale blue, and peaceful. 

“He means no harm,” she whispered to Draco with a smile as the large creature slowly swam up to the surface. It stared up at them with its large, black eyes. To Draco, it looked rather menacing. However, the shark let Maisie’s hand glide softly over its back, and she giggled. It swam in a circle, rubbing its rough scales against her hand playfully. 

“Will it let me…?” Draco trailed off. Maisie smiled and nodded at him, and Draco rolled up his sleeve, slowly reaching his hand into the water. He carefully petted the shark’s dorsal fin and the top of its head, and a smile crept onto his face. 

“Careful though, he may rip your arm off,” she said nonchalantly. Draco glared and she smirked in response. He knew she was joking.

Maisie pulled her hand from the water and Draco followed suit. The shark circled the boat one last time before swimming back into the depths of the water. 

“Thank you, Draco,” she said, leaning over and pulling him into a hug. Draco pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“I didn’t know you could talk to sharks,” he said, slightly confused. 

“I know it’s odd. I’m still a Squib, but I can feel auras. It usually only works on animals, though.”

 

\---------------

 

“Are you ready yet?” Harry groaned from the doorway as Maisie threw her last-minute items into her duffle bag. They were about to board the Hogwarts Express to go visit Sirius and the Weasleys for the holidays. 

“Christ, just give me two seconds,” she whined back, throwing her hairbrush in the bag and zipping it up. “There, now we can go.”

“Finally,” Harry mumbled, and she thumped him on the back of the head before running away. 

“Hey!” he said and chased after her as she laughed. 

Finally, the siblings made it onto the Hogwarts Express and found their friends. They entered the compartment with Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George. Crookshanks rested on Hermione’s lap, sleeping, and she held a potions book in her hands. Maisie pulled out her phone and plugged in her headphones, playing music lightly and conversing with her friends.

About half an hour into the train ride, Cho Chang appeared outside the door and made eye contact with Harry. He quickly stood up, making an excuse about using the bathroom, and left the compartment. 

“Oh my God. They’re _not_ gonna hook up in a compartment,” Maisie said, a disgusted look on her face. 

“Sorry, mate, I think they are,” Fred replied, and then the whole group of friends burst out laughing.


	9. Winter

“A Christmas toast,” Mr. Weasley announced to the room, “to Mr. Harry Potter… without whom I would not be here.” The man was bruised and bandaged but had healed significantly since the attack.  
Echoes of “Harry” sounded throughout the room as everyone raised their glasses towards him. Maisie reached for her own but Harry grabbed her arm.  
“Don’t even think about it.”   
Maisie pouted.   
“You’re no fun.” Harry rolled his eyes and picked up her glass, setting it down next to Hermione before standing and walking over to talk with Sirius.   
“I can’t understand why you don’t want to wear it, Ronald,” Hermione said brightly as Ron made a face at her.  
“I look like a bloody idiot, that’s why!”  
“No more than usual, Ron,” Maisie added, and he glared at her as Hermione giggled.   
Maisie looked on excitedly as the rest of the Weasleys opened their Christmas gifts. Her and Harry had spent two full days in Hogsmeade deciding what to get each of them.   
Mrs. Weasley had knitted Maisie a gray sweater with a black ‘M’ on it, and Maisie slid it on over her plain red shirt with a large smile on her face.   
Maisie had gotten Ron a new set of Wizard’s Chess and Hermione the newest edition of Hogwarts: A History along with the most expensive set of quills she could find— only the best for her Mione. 

By the time they all finished eating dinner and cleaned up the kitchen, it was well past midnight. Everyone had gone to bed, exhausted from being in a house full of teenagers. Maisie was sharing a room with Hermione and Ginny, who were sound asleep. Frustratingly, no matter what she did, she couldn’t fall asleep. She’d played her nighttime playlist at least three times over, and even tried falling asleep without music.   
She just could not get to sleep.   
After many long hours of tossing and turning, Maisie finally decided to just stay awake. If she couldn’t sleep, she might as well do something useful.   
Slowly, Maisie stood up from the small cot on the floor, creeping to the door and slipping out of the room, lightly shutting it behind her and making her way down the stairs. She found two large candles in the kitchen and lit them, then sat herself down at the kitchen table and placed the candles in front of her.   
Maisie closed her eyes and breathed deeply, relaxing her body and mind. She reached out for any aura—   
Suddenly a hand grasped her shoulder and Maisie jumped, raising her fists.  
“Jesus Christ!”  
“Nope, just Sirius,” the man said cheekily, taking a seat in the chair next to her.   
“Very funny.”  
“So, what brings you out here at…” he looked at the clock, “three in the morning?”   
“Nothing. I just couldn’t sleep, I guess.” Sirius nodded knowingly.  
“The same with me,” he confessed.   
“Insomnia’s the worst,” Maisie complained, and he smirked in amusement. She sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve just been… weird, lately.”  
“Weird how?” He leaned forward, looking concerned.  
“I can’t explain it. Just… weird. Uneasy. It feels like something bad’s going to happen and I have no idea what it is or how to stop it.”  
He seemed to think for a moment.   
“Have you ever felt like this before?”  
Maisie nodded.  
“Last time I felt it was… just before last summer. When Harry fought— him.” Maisie sighed and rested her head on one of her hands, and Sirius put a comforting hand on her back.   
“I’m not much of a believer in fate. But sometimes there are things that just can’t be altered. It’s out of our control, and no amount of magic can prevent it. But I also believe there are some people who can sense these omens. Like you.”  
“Sirius, I’m not magical,” she pointed out. “It’s not like I’m clairvoyant or something.”  
“You may not be magical,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a damn good sense of intuition.” Sirius stood up, patting her on the back affectionately.   
“Off to bed now, Maisie. I have a feeling we’ll be woken up at an ungodly hour as it is.” Sirius waved at her and walked around the corner, disappearing into the shadows. Maisie decided he was right. She blew out the candles and made her way back up to the bedroom, and surprisingly, sleep came to her easily. 

\---------------

It was the first night back at Hogwarts, and Maisie could feel the change in the air. It was almost as if the happiness had slowly been leaving the school’s atmosphere over Christmas break. Even her own room seemed less inviting than usual.   
She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling as a Beartooth song played from her speaker. Just as she was about to doze off, a knock sounded on her door. Probably Umbridge, here to yell at her to turn down her music again. Maisie groaned and stood up, walking over to the door and opening it cautiously.   
Instead of Umbridge, Draco Malfoy stood in front of her.   
Maisie smiled and let him in, then nearly tackled him in a hug.   
“How was your Christmas?” she asked, sitting down on her bed. Draco sat down next to her.  
“It was nice. Nothing extremely eventful happened. Although,” he pulled a small silver badge out of his pocket, “I joined Umbridge’s ‘Inquisitorial Squad’ so she’ll give me extra marks in her class.”  
“Wow. Classic Malfoy, causing suffering to get a better grade.”  
“It’s not my fault she’s insane,” he complained. They both laughed.   
The two teenagers talked and caught up for the next hour, until Maisie began to yawn.  
“Well, I best be going. I have Transfiguration first tomorrow morning, and McGonagall will skin me alive if I’m late,” Draco said, standing up.   
“Aww. I love her,” Maisie said affectionately as he glared. She walked Draco to the door and he pulled her in for a tight hug.   
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said to her, his arms still tight around her. Maisie looked up to see him staring straight back at her, and their faces inched closer together. A few seconds passed and they still stared into each other’s eyes… until Maisie broke the eye contact awkwardly and they both laughed nervously. Draco gave her one last affectionate squeeze before walking out into the hallway.   
“Goodnight. Don’t die walking back in the dark,” she said.   
“Wow, thanks. I’ll try not to. Goodnight,” he replied, then walked off.  
Maisie closed the door behind him and locked it, then sighed.   
What was she doing?


	10. Inquisitorial Squad

It was a cold, gloomy day, and the sun was hidden behind the clouds. Maisie didn’t mind, though.   
She sat on the edge of the dock overlooking the Black Lake, staring out at the peaceful horizon and the soft rippling waves. She was dressed in a simple pair of jeans with a black tank top, black hoodie, and combat boots. A black beanie shielded her head from the cold and her long, dark hair was thrown over her shoulder in a loose braid.   
Out of nowhere she heard footsteps and obnoxiously loud voices approaching, breaking the peaceful silence and annoying her to no end.   
Maisie rolled her eyes and sighed, ready to turn around and tell them to fuck off, until she realized they were talking to her. 

“Hey, Potter!” Crabbe’s voice called from behind her.   
Maisie groaned and stood, turning around to face him. It wasn’t just Crabbe, but Goyle as well, who were approaching her. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked sarcastically.

“You’re coming with us. Professor Umbridge would like to ask you a few questions,” Goyle said with a smirk. Maisie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.  
“Fine. Where is sh— hey!” 

The two boys had each grabbed her firmly by her upper arms and were quite literally dragging her towards the castle. 

“If you want to keep your arms, I’d suggest you get them off of me,” she protested, trying to wriggle out of their grasps. The two boys struggled to keep her moving, their combined strength just barely matching her own. Eventually, they drug her into Umbridge’s office, where she was met with quite the unexpected sight. Her brother, tied to a chair in the middle of the room, with nearly all of his friends being restrained by more members of the Inquisitorial Squad— including Draco.   
His eyes widened when he saw her and she glared at him. Whatever was happening, he was involved. 

“Ah, Miss Potter, so glad you could make it,” Umbridge said sweetly, walking up to her with her wand drawn. Maisie shoved her fear of the wand down and lifted her chin defiantly.

“Yeah, thanks, but do you mind explaining what the hell is going on here?” Honestly, what the fuck? What had Harry done that warranted him being tied to a chair? What had Hermione and Ron and everyone else done?   
Umbridge smiled sweetly and patted Maisie on the cheek rather roughly.

“Hey, hands off the merchandise!” 

“Don’t act like you don’t know, Miss Potter. If you’d have come forward—“

“She doesn’t know anything!” Harry exclaimed suddenly.

“Silence!” Umbridge quickly lifted her hand to smack him across the face. 

“Hey!” Maisie yelled, lunging forward to attack her but being held back by Crabbe and Goyle. 

“Now Miss Potter, I would like you to tell us your side of the story, please,” she continued sweetly, smiling at Maisie. Maisie had no idea what the actual fuck she was talking about, but she got an idea. She sighed, pretending to give up on lying. 

“Alright, fine… Well, it’s a long story.”

“I’ve got all night, Miss Potter.”

“Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?” Maisie asked.

Umbridge looked confused, but didn’t catch onto the joke, because apparently Star Wars didn’t exist in the wizarding world, and neither did copypastas. 

“No, what does this have to do with—?”

“I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend.” 

Hermione and Harry seemed to understand what she was doing, because Hermione gave her a wide-eyed head shake while Harry snorted, covering it up with a cough. Umbridge looked confused. Harry’s face started to turn red from holding back his laughter, and even Draco looked slightly amused. 

Maisie continued, “Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life... He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he—“

Umbridge cut her off with a swift smack to the face, much like she had just done to Harry. 

“I have no time for your games, girl!”

Maisie snorted, the look on Umbridge’s face amusing her even further.   
The older woman turned back to Harry.

“You were going to Dumbledore, weren’t you?”

“No.”

“Liar!” Umbridge opened her mouth to continue, until the door suddenly opened.

“You sent for me, headmistress?” Snape’s voice drawled as he entered the room. 

“Snape, yes. The time has come for answers, whether he wants to give them to me or not. Have you brought the Veritaserum?” Maisie had never been so confused in her life. 

“I’m afraid you’ve used up all my stores interrogating students, the last of it on Miss Chang. Unless you wish to poison him— and I assure you, I would have the greatest sympathy if you did— I cannot help you.”

“Okay, what the actual f—“ Maisie started, but was cut off.

“He’s got Padfoot!” Harry cried. “He’s got Padfoot at the place where it’s hidden.”

Oh, shit. ‘Padfoot’ is Sirius.  
Harry’s words were directed at Snape, who stared at him almost blankly. 

“Padfoot? What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What is he talking about, Snape?” Umbridge squawked almost frantically.

Snape seemed to consider the situation for a moment.   
“No idea,” he said finally, before turning and walking straight out of the room. 

“Very well. You give me no choice, Potter. As this is an issue of Ministry security… you leave me with no alternative. The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue.”

“That’s illegal!” Hermione exclaimed angrily. 

“What Cornelius doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She placed a moving picture of an old man face down on her desk. Maisie didn’t know what this “Cruciatus” business was, but she was not about to let this bitch curse her brother.   
She lunged forward again, breaking free from Crabbe and Goyle’s grasps, but before she got more than three feet, both boys jumped and tackled her to the ground. All her friends around the room yelled in anger as the two large boys nearly crushed her.

“Control yourself, Miss Potter!” Umbridge screeched, and she seemed unnerved. Good. 

“Incarcerous!” Crabbe exclaimed, and Maisie felt a length of rope twist itself around her wrists, holding her arms tightly behind her back.

“Wow boys, I didn’t know you were so kinky,” Maisie teased as the two Slytherins pulled her back to her feet again, gripping her upper arms tightly. From the corner of her eye she could see Draco’s pale face contort into a slightly bewildered expression.  
Umbridge ignored her comment and moved to stand in front of Harry, wand raised, and she opened her mouth—

“Tell her, Harry!” Hermione yelled, straining against the boy holding her back.

“Tell me what?” Umbridge screeched.

“Well, if you won’t tell her where it is… I will.”

“Where what is?!”

“Dumbledore’s secret weapon.”

\---------------

Harry, Hermione, and Umbridge had been gone for about ten minutes, leaving the students in her squad to watch over Maisie and her friends. Draco wouldn’t stop staring at her, and it was pissing her off. She finally made eye contact with him and gave him a “what??” look, and he looked away awkwardly. 

“I’m hungry. I want some of my sweets, give me my bag, you gits,” Ron said to Crabbe and Goyle. 

The two boys made eye contact and smirked, both reaching over to Ron’s bag and pulling out handfuls of small, brightly wrapped candies.   
Maisie recognized them immediately. Puking Pastilles. Uh oh.   
Draco kept staring at her again and she decided to ignore him. 

Suddenly Crabbe and Goyle both started violently puking, the candies doing their jobs, and the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad began to panic. Maisie saw her chance and ran straight for the door, running out behind Ron, with Ginny on her heels.  
Ginny muttered a spell and the ropes around Maisie’s wrists dropped.

“Thanks,” she said, and followed the rest of the group to the bridge. She could see Harry and Hermione running towards them.

“Maisie, you need to stay here where it’s safe. We’ll be back later," Harry told her quickly.

“What? What are you doing?”

“We’re going to the Ministry to save Sirius. It’s too dangerous for you—"

“I’m going.”

“Maisie—“ 

“Dude, I’m going and that’s final. You’re not his only godchild.” He snapped his mouth shut.

Maisie reached down and pulled her pocketknife out of her boot, dangling it between her fingers with a smirk. 

“So where are we going?”


	11. Department of Mysteries

“This is it,” Harry announced as the elevator doors opened.

The group of teenagers quickly followed him out, looking around in awe. The entire room was filled with shelves, upon which sat thousands of glowing crystal orbs.

Maisie stood just behind Harry, trying not to gape. Her only form of protection was her pocketknife, which, in retrospect, wasn’t going to do much to defend her against a Death Eater.

“Ninety two… ninety three… ninety four… ninety five— He should be here.” Harry looked confused as he shone his lit wand over the floor to reveal… nothing.

“Are you sure?” Maisie murmured softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Something didn’t feel right. Harry opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off.

“Harry. It’s got your name on it,” said Neville, pointing to one of the crystal balls.

Harry slowly reached out and grabbed it, and almost instantly, a raspy voice flowed out of it.

“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… And the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal but he shall have power the Dark Lord knows not… For neither can live while the other survives…”

“Uh, I don’t like the sound of th—” Maisie started nervously, but Ron cut her off with a shaky exclamation of “Harry…”

The group turned their attention to him, to realize he was standing mere feet away from a large, cloaked figure with a dark mask.

 _Death Eaters… oh shit,_ Maisie thought. Of all the people in the world to be a Squib, why did it have to be her?!

“Where’s Sirius?” Harry demanded. Maisie drew her pocket knife, hoping she could at least prove useful as some sort of distraction.

“You know, you really should learn to tell the difference between dreams…” The figure waved his wand over his mask, revealing the smug face of Lucius Malfoy. “…and reality.”

Maisie paled instantly, recognizing him. Draco's father.

“You saw only what the Dark Lord wanted you to see,” he said with a smirk. “Now hand me the prophecy.”

“If you do anything to us, I’ll break it,” Harry threatened, backing up and pushing Maisie closer to the middle of the group. Suddenly, insane female laughter came out of nowhere, echoing around the room.

“He knows how to play!” a high-pitched, excited voice exclaimed from the shadows behind Lucius. The woman walked out of the shadows to stand beside Lucius. “Itty… bitty… baby. Potter,” she sneered.

 _Who the fuck is this?_ Maisie thought to herself, but the question was almost immediately answered.

“Bellatrix Lestrange,” Neville gasped.

“Neville Longbottom, is it?” She smirked evilly. “How’s Mum and Dad?”

“Better, now they’re about to be avenged—“ Neville raised his wand quickly, and the Death Eaters drew their wands just as Harry threw out an arm to hold him back.

“Now, let’s everybody just calm down… shall we?” Lucius said slowly. “All we want is that prophecy.”

Prophecy?! What the hell did Harry get himself into?

“Why did Voldemort need me to come and get this?” Harry demanded in return.

“You dare speak his name?!” Bellatrix whispered, outraged. _“You filthy half-blood!”_ she screeched in anger, her eyes widening.

“Hey bitch, you wanna fucking try that again?” Maisie challenged, trying to shove her way forward.

Harry pushed her back and Ron grabbed her arm to hold her back. Bellatrix seemed startled and glared intensely at her, a death stare which Maisie gladly returned.

“It’s all right. He’s just a curious lad, aren’t you?” Lucius drawled. “Prophecies can only be retrieved by those about whom they are made. Which is lucky for you, really.”

Maisie noticed he was monologuing. Trying to persuade Harry through soft voices and lies. Harry wouldn’t listen to this, would he? He was too smart to fall for this trick.

“Haven’t you always wondered… what was the connection between you and the Dark Lord? Why he was unable to kill you… when you were just an infant? Don’t you want to know the secret of your scar? All the answers are there, Potter, in your hand. All you have to do… is give it to me. Then I can show you everything.” Harry was silent for a moment. Maisie held her tongue.

“I’ve waited fourteen years,” he said finally. Harry looked down at the swirling sphere in his palm. Maisie’s stomach dropped, afraid that he’d actually fallen for it.  

“I know,” Lucius said in mock disappointment.

“I guess I can wait a little longer. NOW!”

“Stupefy!” the teenagers all yelled at once, and Maisie just ducked. They all ran in separate directions.

Maisie remembered Harry telling her to stay right behind him, but a Death Eater stood between them and the fastest escape she could think of was to turn left and sprint. She heard glass shattering and loud cracks as spells were fired back and forth.

A Death Eater materialized in front of her and Maisie drew her hand back, throwing her knife like a ninja star. It embedded deep into the man’s wand arm, and he cried out in pain and disappeared.

“God damn it, you took my knife, you pussy!” she groaned out in frustration. Maisie ran towards the sound of voices, dodging colored streams of light that were sent in her direction. Another Death Eater appeared in front of her and sent a red light at her. It was too close to dodge it in time, and the spell hit Maisie square in the chest.

She fell back with a groan and felt her skin tearing as a deep gash formed between her collarbones. The Death Eater was gone as quick as he had shown up, and Maisie pulled herself up shakily. Her hoodie had been ripped over where the gash was, so it was visible for all the world to see. She gritted her teeth and ran as fast as she could to the sound of Harry’s voice.

Maisie caught up to the group just as they all began sprinting away. The shelves of prophecies were falling like dominoes, glass shattering everywhere and threatening to rain down on them all.

“Maisie, hurry up!” Harry called, grabbing her arm and pulling her behind him as they ran through the doorway they’d come in from. But instead of being met with an exit, Maisie gasped as they immediately began to fall. She closed her eyes, expecting to feel her bones break when she hit the ground— but something stopped their fall.

She opened her eyes just as she fell the few remaining inches to the ground.

“Ow, shit,” Maisie groaned, pulling herself up.

“Department of Mysteries. They got that bit right, didn’t they?” Ron muttered dryly.

Harry was slowly walking up to an archway in the middle of the room, looking confused.

“The voices. Can you tell what they’re saying?” he asked.

“There aren’t any voices, Harry. Let’s get out of here,” Hermione said cautiously.

“I hear them too,” Luna spoke up.

Now that they mentioned it, Maisie could hear it— the faint whispering of spirits beyond the veil. Definitely not something they wanted to mess with.

“Harry, don’t—“

“Harry, it’s just an empty archway!” Hermione exclaimed. “Please, Harry—“ She was cut off as black smoke poured into the room, signalling that the Death Eaters were back.

“Get behind me!” he demanded. As soon as he said it, the black smoke attacked.

A pair of hands grabbed Maisie around the middle, and she felt herself being whisked away into the air and then landing across the room. Her arms were held tightly behind her back and a wand tip pressed into the side of her neck roughly.

“Get off of me!” she screamed, struggling fiercely until she was forced to her knees by a spell, a rope twisting itself around her wrists and pinning them behind her. Once the smoke cleared, Lucius Malfoy stood in front of Harry again, the same smug look on his face. Harry was left standing by the archway while the the rest of the teenagers were each being restrained by a Death Eater.

“Did you actually believe… or were you truly naive enough to think… that children stood a chance against us?” Lucius mocked.

“Okay, enough with the monologuing,” Maisie said, annoyed. The Death Eater holding her twisted his hand in her hair and yanked hard, telling her to shut up.

Harry looked scared for once. That was a look Maisie had never wanted to see on his face. She began toying with the knot on the rope tying her hands together, pulling it around to loosen it.

“I’ll make this simple for you, Potter. Give me the prophecy now… or watch your friends die.” The room was silent for a long moment, and Maisie could feel the danger of the situation rising.

“Don’t give it to him, Harry!” Neville exclaimed from across the room, but he was quickly silenced by Bellatrix. Harry looked down at the prophecy, contemplating, then slowly raised his hand and placed it in Lucius’ palm. Lucius raised it in triumph (probably preparing to start monologuing again), and suddenly a bright white light flashed around the room. Maisie looked up.

“Get away from my godson,” Sirius said, then drew his fist back and decked Malfoy across the face.

“Holy shit!” Maisie laughed as white lights flitted about the room, each revealing a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

The Death Eater holding her disappeared, and she finally undid the knot on her hands and broke free, standing up. Loud cracks and blinding flashes clouded her vision and hearing, but all she could think to do was run toward Harry. She dodged a green light, then jumped over to the small ledge where Harry and Sirius were taking cover.

“What’s up, guys?” she panted as she dodged another light. Harry immediately sent a spell back at the Death Eater, causing the figure to collapse, unconscious.

“Listen to me. Take the others and get out of here,” Sirius said.

“What? No, I’m staying with you!” Harry insisted.

Maisie watched Sirius, her heart pounding in her chest. Something bad was about to happen, and she could feel it.

“You’ve done beautifully. Now let me take it from here,” Sirius replied.

“Expelliarmus!” Harry exclaimed, pointing his wand at a Death Eater.

“Nice one, James!” Sirius exclaimed. Harry did a double take.

The next few seconds were a blur to Maisie, but she heard Bellatrix Lestrange say the words “Avada Kedavra” as a green light blinded her temporarily.

She blinked hard, just in time to see Sirius’ face go slack, his body go limp… But he didn’t fall or collapse— he floated backwards, into the veil within the archway.

He was dead.

“No… NO!” Harry screamed, and as he tried to run towards Bellatrix, Lupin held him back. Maisie screamed in pure agony, falling to her knees and tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes. Harry screamed as well, and Lupin held him tightly. Maisie felt a pair of arms try and grab her from behind, but she quickly shoved them off and sprinted as fast as she could towards the woman who had murdered her godfather. Bellatrix giggled and threw a spell at her, causing more deep gashes to slice themselves into Maisie’s skin. The pain no longer fazed her, however.

“I’m going to fucking murder you!” Maisie screeched as more tears fell from her eyes. Suddenly Harry ran past her and sent a spell at the woman, knocking her down. She looked up at him from the ground, pretending to be scared before starting to giggle once more.

She was looking behind Harry, not at him. But why…?

Maisie turned and almost fell back in shock as Lord Voldemort materialized a mere ten feet away from her.

“Harry!” she yelled. He quickly turned around and raised his wand, but was quickly disarmed.

“So _weak_ ,” the dark wizard hissed, beginning to circle him.

“Leave him alone!” Maisie yelled. She couldn’t save Sirius, but she sure as hell wasn’t about to lose Harry.

Voldemort’s eyes narrowed at her.

“Ah. Maisie Potter. I wondered when I’d be seeing you again,” he hissed, walking slowly towards her. Harry looked terrified and torn between distracting Voldemort or keeping track of Bellatrix. Maisie glared at Voldemort silently, walking backwards slowly. He walked towards her just in time with her steps backward, which had the desired effect— it led him away from Harry.

Bellatrix still sat on the ground, giggling as she watched the scene before her.

“My, my, you really have grown into quite the beautiful young lady… for a Squib,” Voldemort sneered. He sent a spell at her and she grunted as she felt something similar to a punch to the gut. The blow brought her to her knees and she glared up at him defiantly as she gasped for breath.

“Leave… us alone,” she gasped in pain.

Suddenly one of the fireplaces to her right lit up with large green flames, and out stepped Dumbledore. Voldemort’s face dropped and he turned to face his opponent, a fierce look in his eyes.

“It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way,” he stated.

“By which time I shall be gone… and you shall be dead,” Voldemort replied with an evil grin.

Dumbledore quickly waved his wand and both Harry and Maisie were slid across the room by an invisible force.

The two wizards dueled intensely, sparks and lights flying everywhere as they fought to defeat the other. Harry shoved Maisie into a corner, covering her body with his own as Voldemort attempted to send rubble flying at them.

After what seemed like hours, the fighting stopped. Harry quickly helped Maisie up and they began to run for better cover— and then Harry screamed in pain, falling to the ground.

“Harry!” Maisie screamed, falling to her knees next to him. He screamed in pain and writhed on the ground, squeezing his eyes shut. Something was wrong; this wasn’t all Harry. Voldemort had somehow gotten inside him; possessed him.

As if to confirm her realization, Harry’s eyes opened to reveal a pale blue film covering his once brilliant green irises.

“You’ve lost, old man,” Harry said in a distorted, ragged voice, before he let out another yell. Maisie covered her mouth with one hand to keep from sobbing, knowing she couldn’t touch him unless she wanted to worsen his pain.

“Harry, it isn’t how you are alike,” Dumbledore said softly from his other side, “It’s how you are not.”

Harry’s screams turned to groans and then his eyes went back to normal.

“You’re the weak one,” he wheezed, staring into nothingness. “And you’ll never know love or friendship… and I feel sorry for you.” His breath hitched a final time before a black smoke forced its way out of his chest and into the air.

Voldemort materialized, standing over him, as a cloud of sand and rubble rose up to encase the two enemies.

“You’re a fool, Harry Potter. And you will lose everything,” Voldemort whispered. He turned and looked pointedly at Maisie with a sadistic smirk, then back to Harry.

Suddenly the fireplaces all came to life once more, as Aurors and the Minister himself entered the building.

Fudge stopped in his tracks to take in the scene before him, and Voldemort hissed in anger before disappearing.

“…He’s back.”

Maisie all but collapsed on top of Harry, pulling his unconscious body into her arms and sobbing into his dust-covered jacket. Dumbledore placed his hand on her shoulder lightly and she just closed her eyes and held onto her brother tightly as camera flashes began to go off.


End file.
